Philips SkyMASTER 4 & FIRE Game & Watch | BOGOF Can I FIX It?

[@janskeet1382]

There is a great sense of bravery to not fix it and still publish. Well done darling. I know I’m 2 years late but there you are.

[@rachelc2022]

My older brother had this exact “Walkman” way back when. I sent him the link and he said he’s looking forward to seeing it. Great fix! And it’s unfortunate about the Game & Watch, but always fun to see you fault find and try to fix it!

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Rachel, I hope your brother enjoys it and my singing doesn't put him off too much! 😁

[@willman85]

It seems more like a dictation machine but without the mic input.

[@IMChrisThom]

I'm not sure if anyone is mentioned this but it seems like the issue with the tape player is not the take up speed but it's the fact that the tape is slipping on the capstan. The take-up wheels should be fast.

[@pds8475]

At 7:45 in the video the potentiometer is just in front of your thumb. It's stood up so you can alter the speed through the bottom of the case.

[@StezStixFix]

😳 really!? I didn't spot that! 😕

[@pds8475]

@@StezStixFix In my opinion it's a bad design to have them stood up like that. A lot of people put to much force on them. which can bend it and in some cases where they are frequently used can cause dry joints on the contacts.

[@StezStixFix]

@@pds8475 I think that explains it, I wasn't expecting it to be on its side like that! I thought it would be flat to the board! Oh well, at least it can be adjusted again if needs be! Thanks for the info pds! 👍

[@psi23k]

Good eye 👌

[@Helt3n]

I am no fixer, but I enjoy the vibe of these videos.. They are mesmerizing. Nicely edited, and you have a comforting voice! Keep it up! =)

[@Mymatevince]

Great vid Steve👍👍

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Vince! ☺

[@andrasszabo7386]

The game&watch could be missing a polarizer filter from behind the screen or from the front of it. Find one and you will see if that is the case. Without it the LCD image is invisible.

[@wollibaumfaller3233]

It doesn't always have to be a success - it's not called trying to fix without a reason, so it always stays exciting until the end

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Wolli! Very true, it doesn't always work out, but that's part of the fun! 👍

[@Mrflash222006]

Just watching some of old vids - looking at the state of the motor, corrosion may have affected the motors resistance

[@danieldelonge6002]

@wurstwasser ..exept someone spoils it in one sentence in the comments directliy beneath the video.. komme was wolli, ich fand's trotzdem entspannend..

[@wollibaumfaller3233]

@@danieldelonge6002 Yes I see it, I had no intention of spoiling the ending for anyone, so I always watch any such videos before I look in the comments, of course, because the comment is currently in the first place, it's unfortunate if you accidentally see it beforehand. But as you said, even knowing this is a very interesting video.

[@the-THORNSPAWN]

For future reference pretty much all tape players have the motor speed adjustment in the back of the motor through a small hole, sometimes under a cover, we used to use a 1khz reference tape for motor speed tuning.

[@PeasGraveny]

Yes, there's often a tiny pot behind the circular sticker on the back of the motor.

[@chris-pike]

Good to watch more of your fixes there Steve interesting to see the Skymaster as i have a old Sanyo stereo cassette player M4440 similar to yours - Nice 1 👍

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Chris! I have a bit of a soft spot for these old cassette players, they are beautiful things! 😊 I think my friend had one of those Sanyo's, they're red with a silver/grey case? Lovely looking machine! 😍

[@chris-pike]

Yes Steve its a deep red maroon colour lovely item and full of extras on it ....... this is a link to one i have incase you want to compare it kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5e1l41rdseUabs

[@kittdigital]

Good work buddy! Enjoyed this one 👍🏻

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Kitt! I really enjoyed making this one too! 😊

[@pedromimoso8804]

Good effort on the game & watch, and great work on the tape player, Captain Bodge! Keep up the good work! This channel will be huge (more views and more subscribers) soon. You have a star quality (as we could see in your singing...) and the rest of the world just has to discover the channel. Good video, Steve.

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks very much for the kind words Pedro! My singing is obviously beautiful 😍 😂

[@MrOmegabrian]

Your videos are simply delightful.

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Brubs! 😍

[@marcdinsmore8690]

From the states, here. So great to hear "ooh, friend" lol. Football friend!

[@PhilipBryden]

Did the markings on the resistor match up with the 1ohm reading? Presumably the value or the resistor has wandered away from it's original value over time.

[@StezStixFix]

Hey Phil! Yeah, the markings did show 1 ohm, not sure if it wandered or if the belts had put a different resistance over the whole mechanism. Hard to tell, but it's working well now! 👍

[@Dave64track]

Great video after watching your fix the problem is usually the pinch wheel not pushing onto the capston which regulates the speed. It was more than likely fast because the tape was just being pulled by the take up spool on the cassette which just takes up the slack from the pinch wheel. As the spool gets more full the tape speed will change if its not being pulled by the capstone. I just put this here just incase anybody has similar problems with tape speed which is really fast a slow tape is usually the belts.

[@simonupton-millard]

What you need to do is record some youtube audio libary music you like to tape to avoid copyright, also the way some other youtubers test speed is with a test tone of say 3kHz and play back via a scope or a pc sound card input and see if the playback is at 3kHz Techmoan has some good videos on basic repair and adjustments on tape players

[@squizz-bot854]

I love the song choice. I found the aquamarine album at Goodwill a few weeks back and have been wearing it out since.

[@kranibal]

At 22:30 I noticed many of the braids on the red wire (below the diode) are broken most likely limiting the current throughout the device. Just a thought.

[@GROENAASMusic]

It's almost in tune. Great work still!

[@HavingFunRepairs]

Haha, you trip me out. Appreciate the entertainment and repairs. Have you tried searching for "elastomeric connectors" on the internet 😉. It may not be the screen it could be they're not making a good contact between PCB and LCD. Possibly either pressure "screws aren't tight enough or a post is broken". Or they need to be replaced. Your choice though. Enjoyed the video mate!

[@StezStixFix]

🤣 thanks mate! Yeah, I have actually ordered some zebra strips up and will see if that makes any difference. I would like to be able to get the Fire working, as it's in good condition aside from the non-functioning screen! 👍

[@captcraig777]

This Game and Watch was a magnificent failure! Bravo! It is a shame the display was janky. Perhaps you will find a replacement in the future. Great content as always.

[@MauR1CEnl]

I had one of those when i was a kid. When it broke down I got my first Sony Diskman weird to think back about only having one album with you. 😙

[@DanBird]

Haha loving the vocals, Great job on the Skymaster, shame about the screen on the Game&Watch.

[@StezStixFix]

😂 thanks Dan. I got a bit carried away with the singing on this one! 😬

[@zaheers123]

Mate came across your channel.past few days now...great videos and you have a very funny personally

[@DeWah]

That tiny portable oscilloscope is adorable

[@nickjeffrey8050]

I'm loving your videos ATM keep em coming bro

[@travelingduo7523]

Hahahaha. Nice singing skills! I’m thinking that what might be wrong with the skymaster 4k is something related to the Fast Forward button. I remember that on my old walkman if the song was playing and I slightly pressed on the FF button, it played faster. Maybe some stuck connection in there? Also, this time worked, but when measuring the resistance of a resistor in a circuit, you want to disconnect the resistor from that circuit at least on one of the leads. Otherwise you might be measuring the resistance of another pathway between the two terminals and not across the resistor itself.

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks for the info Traveling Duo! You may be right with the FFwd button. Although I would have expected it to play even faster in that case. Not sure, but it does seem to be working well now. Not sure how long it will last though! 🤔

[@rimmersbryggeri]

I think it might have been some short (or stuck switch) to the fast forward that made it play too fast. Sounded exactly like high speed copy on a double deck.

[@kranibal]

I agree with you. It did sound like the fast forward switch was stuck ON.

[@tomaswolsink7620]

Looked it up at Spotify, close enough, good job on those resistors

[@QuartinhoNerd]

Loving your vídeos so much!!!

[@jonnohanks]

Why is it so therapeutic watching those batteries get thrown in😂

[@wyxchari]

05:22 I think the potentiometer is on the board, bottom-right positioned vertically next to the resistor.

[@johncrichton4341]

I used to sell these Walkman's when I worked at Laskeys in about 1983. I do remember that this particular model had a higher return rate...

[@highroyds]

Lol Universal are very quick at copyright due to the software that matches the music, but Doctor Jones.. I remember that coming out.. I feel partially old now 🤣

[@StezStixFix]

Haha, yeah I remember buying it too! 🤣

[@pintokitkat]

I appreciate I'm late to the game here, but I would have checked the capstan first as that is what regulates the tape speed. The motor tugs the tape through crudely and the pinch of the tape between the capstan and pinch roller is what fine tunes it.

[@Teesixhundred]

If you still have this, check the pinch roller, this feeds the tape and thus governs the speed, it may be dirty or worn!

[@gb7767]

Hey Stez, really enjoyed this, even if you did miss the potentiometer it was a good solution. For the game and watch, I seem to remember Vince doing something with LCD's to test segments, can't remember how he did it, I think the multimeter gave it enough juice to activate the indicidual segments. Worth a try

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks G B. I'll go back and rewatch Vince's vids and see if I can spot anything for the G&W! And I also can't believe I missed the potentiometer! I was convinced there wasn't one! 🙃

[@gb7767]

@@StezStixFix I tried to find the video, but MMV is such a prolific producer of content that I failed to find it (I don't think it was a G&W specifically). I wonder if it's just a degraded polarizer, it's hard to tell from the footage as the display is just so faint. If not that then maybe buy some fresh zebra strips and give that a whirl.

[@StezStixFix]

@@gb7767 thanks G B. I'll give it a go! 👍

[@devnull2766]

New viewer, but also a very old game & watch collector here. I have always wondered, why is it these LCD screens cannot be fixed at all? What kind of alien technology was used, that nothing can be done other than replacing the whole thing? Please shed some light on this topic with your next G&W fix Stez!

[@hotlavatube]

That Game & Watch looks like a variation on that old "Bouncing Babies" DOS game by Dave Baskin. I used to play that game a lot on DOS.

[@Ethan9988]

Love your content! Just subscribed!

[@RyderWestwood]

Haha, oh man I loved that Aqua song when it came out when I was a kid in the 90s.

[@ygstuff4898]

The clown horns--truly made my experience watching this video.

[@janskeet1382]

“There was a lot of wires and a lot going off all over the shop.” I’d like to contract ‘Banksy’ to put that on the M1 bridges for you. (Over the top of the work of Helch) 😂

[@fkthewhat]

6:50 - I didn't know there was a happy hardcore version of Doctor Jones!

[@StezStixFix]

😁 I'm not sure many people do!

[@samwilliamson4715]

Haha! Oh- ‘he’s only gone and done it!!’ 😂😂 nice work on the resistor math! No harm in trying! Like your approach 👊👌 Coming up next; Steve’s clown horn rave party!! 🤣🌻 love it

[@renataavgeri1132]

Easter Saturday vid

[@mecrotic]

Haha! Omg, i still have that aqua tape in a box as well.

[@davidroberts2920]

Loving those moves, nearly as good as my finger dancing. 😂😂

[@StezStixFix]

🤣 thanks David! I can throw a few shapes when I need to! 😂

[@Popeyes66]

Did you clean the heads Steve ?

[@StezStixFix]

Hey Daveyboys, yeah I gave the heads a good clean too! 👍

[@rexthewarhorse]

Now I'll have Dr Jones on my head for the rest of the day 😅

[@RWL2012]

I have a 1989 Sony Walkman and a Parachute Game & Watch that both need repairing (but I can't repair things myself) - would you be up for repairing them for me?

[@JT-il3fe]

The odd Capacitor is a resin dipped tantalum capacitor

[@djlancematthew]

I very much liked the part in the song where it goes blah blah blah blah blah blah! It makes me feel good because when I feel I know all the words!

[@SlowRb20s13]

That song is amazing

[@Pint-Shot-Riot]

The dark times before Dave :)

[@grassulo]

Great repair, if you like how the song sounded the first time search for Nightcore S Doctor Jones.

[@galaxianova8132]

I like that song but you're right. It was arguably better sped up.

[@janchristensen9858]

It has nothing to do with 1ohm resistor. You have to put it back and pay atention to the pinchroler. Its has not Contact to the capstan and make it run faster.

[@DanielNoblett1111]

All the time I hear it play fast I am thinking check pinch roller contacting the capstan, if pinch roller spring is loose the tape will slip and play fast.

[@budzillasohoski9858]

You are awesome!

[@Ratchet_effect]

Steve check you're email brother it's potentially right to the point of interest 😁🖖👍 As for the Game & Watch buy some "polarizing filter sheets" from Amazon. Move it around over the screen why games on! you'll most likely see it clear up and show a better picture. If that don't help your Zebra run out of horse power 😂

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks brother Steve! I can't believe I missed the pot to be honest, but i wasn't expecting it to be on its side like that! At least I know for next time! I do have some polariser sheets, and did play around with those. But there was still missing data on the screen. I kinda wish I had some replacement zebras, but I'd had enough of horsing around with it! 🤣

[@Ratchet_effect]

We all been there many a time, Some times the answer can be so simple and be looking at you, right in your face, we'll still miss it lol Us Humans are not perfect unfortunately but we try out best & that is all we can do Brother Steve. Ah so you got some sheets :) did you not try' mix/match spin to best result? so at its part useable at least. The horse coconut hangers, Zeb 'Bras' hehe!! you can buy them it strips & different sizes, just depends how much your friend wants his device to function/last I suppose 🖖👍

[@3dsmaxrocks699]

I swear the electrolytic cap looked liked it was bulging at the top on that game pcb. I might have missed you checking it. Looked bad to the eye to me I dunno

[@Angel-wn2mu]

Walkman have a differential spinner for dim the speed, no resistor. The speed change at the lenght

[@andrebooysen6222]

Hi can you try to fix cellphones,pc mothrboards and xbox 360 controllers.I have a controller 360 and i cant get it fixed.thank you for all the videos i realy leared alot.

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks Andre! Cellphones are definitely on my to do list. I will also keep an eye out for an Xbox 360 controller 👍

[@andrebooysen6222]

@@StezStixFix thank you

[@SmoothEmJay]

Get yourself a better tape, Ste. Any tape. Even a blank one.

[@peterstubbs5934]

I`m an ex Para. Brain the size of a gnats blx and not having a CLUE as to what youre doing BUT, its enthralling and a cool watch. Great vids. Keep them coming.

[@H0lyman01]

Anyone else notice the stain on the board of the skymaster 4? Looked an awful lot like leaked electrolyte. I think your issue was capacitor related.

[@jacknapier06]

You makes me so laf with your hand dance ! I like it XD

[@Matty-li3ru]

Did anybody else add this guilty pleasure tune to their playlist after this video lol 🤣

[@pootnannies]

i hope you go back and fix that sony walkman. you seemed so close to completing it.

[@slaytallica136]

Purely spitballing, but maybe the belt tension is more important on this model than normal because of the fly wheel setup. Too loose, rotates too quickly. They used the resistor to compensate.

[@chrisrobson8540]

wouldnt say it sounds better......but it would end sooner....which is a blessing for the entire existence of humanity

[@delavanty]

The chipmunks are in your Walkman

[@davidlister7214]

Are you sure you just didn't buy the happy hardcore remix of Dr Jones? 🤣

[@user-davidfranks]

Loved dr jones at fast speed lol

[@Mviews-hb4ib]

it converts songs to nightcore!🎉😮 I'd of loved that at the time !

[@alexanderfluckiger6431]

The famous 'NightcoreMASTER' 4000.

[@coryengel]

Ben Heck sings the hits

[@StezStixFix]

Haha! I can understand why Ben Heck does it now, its really hard to stop yourself once you get started! 🤣

[@DrBeefy]

Best song ever

[@JustinEmlay]

That is absolutely nuts to me. It's not like you're playing the song in it's entirety or with any level of quality. If anything it's free advertising. I just can't with this planet anymore.

[@nettack]

Don't know if you'd been ironic or not, but Dr. Jones blew Barbie Girl out of the water. Case and point: lower sales. ;P

[@enilenis]

If they have something like a 555 timer on board and it controls motor PWM by charging and discharging a capacitor though a bleed resistor, then it's possible that drying out of the caps is what's causing the flutter. Resistors don't tend to go bad over time, unless it's moisture. On anything that old, electrolytics have to be swapped, pretty much without checking. I notice that old ones perform better when warmed up. If you can point a hot fan at the mechanism, and the sound gets more even - swap the caps. Or alternatively, you can put it in a plastic bag in a fridge. Get to slightly above zero, and then see if it still runs. If it doesn't - again, it's the electrolytics. 9 out of 10 times it's them anyway.

[@NemeZisUK]

Fucking ace song, Reminds me of being a teenager.

[@lukeedwards557]

I think when you used the tweezers there was a natural resistance within the metal only noticeable due to the small currents being used

[@TheUKAlliance]

Steve I love your vids, music taste not so much 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@StezStixFix]

Thanks n1cks! Yeah, I should probably pick something a bit cooler next time. I have Steps Greatest Hits somewhere I think! 🤣

[@TheUKAlliance]

Just the greatest hits ? ,🤔🤔 me thinks it's the full back catalogue 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@StezStixFix]

😬🤣

[@valley_robot]

The game and watch needs a new polarisation layer , it will work then

[@pixelpuppy]

With resistor : Dr Jones Nightcore Remix Without resistor: Dr Jones Vaporwave Remix

[@jinxnatorx]

Where's the top captain bodge lol 🤔😂😂

[@StezStixFix]

Hahah, I had to wash it 🤣

[@clivesilk3501]

The sky masters were from the 80’s they were like the Sony Walkman alternative 😅😅😅😅

[@grointastic4242]

Fire was my first ever game and I finished it on the way home from the shop in the car. Well disappointed and then everyone else had the double screen games the next day at school

[@boycecat1964]

I want a double speed Walkman now

[@chikoavena3407]

Tape players often have trimpots to adjust speed. Quite know at the tapeloop scene, they swap these with pots

[@Drakorianowl]

Copyright strike avoidance at its best!

[@ctoddgo3074]

I forget why you don't like your "friend" but what if they see your video

[@StezStixFix]

Haha, thanks C! I do actually like this friend, I'm just goofing around. He's given me some more stuff to look at too. He has a massive retro console collection, and has quite a few rare things too! 😀

[@gerrymichaud3851]

What you first starting to play that tape it sounded like Alvin and the Chipmunks.

[@kennethbarker852]

1st class video to watch thank you take care kind regards from me kenneth

[@CameronM47]

2:24 How Aqua should be listened to, punishable by 6 years in prison if you don't.

[@Melechtna]

AWKs? The programming language?

[@dave1secondago]

hahaha love the singing